Barry Larkin, still glowing over his election to the Hall of Fame, was asked about next year’s sure-to-be-controversial vote: the first appearances of Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa on the Cooperstown ballot.

“All I know is playing and competing against some of these guys, they’re the best — period,” he said.

From Online.wsj.com:

The Steroids Era will be the focal point of next year’s Hall ballot, when 550-plus members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America try to assess three of the most accomplished players in the sport’s history.

For all the home runs and wins, it’s a trio tainted with accusations that their statistics were boosted by performance-enhancing drugs during a period when there were no agreed-upon penalties in baseball for the use of steroids and human growth hormone.

“It’s going to be agonizing,” BBWAA general secretary Jack O’Connell said after Tuesday’s news conference, repeating the phrase for emphasis.

“I’m not going to vote for any of the people that are linked to steroids. I could change down the road, but that’s the real strong feeling I have now,” said Hal Bodley of MLB.com, the former lead baseball writer for USA Today.

Tags: Barry Bonds, Barry Larkin, baseball, Hall of Fame, human growth hormone, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, steroids, steroids era, use of steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Sports

Rafael Palmeiro is sticking to his story that a tainted vitamin shot resulted in a failed drug test five years ago and is hopeful that Hall of Fame voters will overlook the mistake and honor him for his 3,020 hits and 569 home runs.

“I was telling the truth then and I am telling the truth now,” Palmeiro said.

From Denverpost.com:

A week before the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announces its inductees to baseball’s Hall of Fame, Palmeiro told SI.com in a telephone interview posted Wednesday that he never used performance-enhancing drugs in his 20-year career. As he asserted in 2005 after he was suspended for failing a test, Palmeiro again insisted the anabolic steroid was in a B-12 vial given to him by Baltimore Orioles teammate Miguel Tejada.

“I was telling the truth then and I am telling the truth now,” Palmeiro said. “I don’t know what else I can say. I have never taken steroids.

“For people who think I took steroids intentionally, I’m never going to convince them. But I hope the voters judge my career fairly and don’t look at one mistake.”

One of only four players in big- league history with 500 homers and 3,000 hits, Palmeiro’s once certain election to the Hall is in jeopardy.

Baseball voters have earlier denied Mark McGwire and the once certain election of Palmeiro to the Hall is in jeopardy.

Tags: anabolic steroid, Baltimore Orioles, Hall of Fame, Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

The seventh and youngest player in Major League Baseball history to hit 600 career home runs, Alex Rodriguez, is still under a lot of pressure to prove critics wrong who often find it amusing to link A-Rod with anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs.

It is believed by some that the 600th home run may just not be enough for A-Rod to gain an easy entry into the Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible five years after retirement.

From NYtimes.com:

Rodriguez is part of a quartet of sluggers who carry the scarlet letter S on their broad backs. The retired stars Barry Bonds (the career leader with 762 homers), Sammy Sosa (609) and Mark McGwire (583) are all linked, to one degree or another, to performance-enhancing drugs.

They are stacked up in the stratosphere, waiting to see if the writers who vote for membership in the Hall will ultimately accept them. At the moment, there are no guarantees. McGwire, who has been eligible for four years, eked his way up to 24 percent in January, far short of the 75 percent needed for admission.

This overt withholding of honor is the legacy of a steroid era that began in the last decade, when McGwire, Sosa and Bonds all had surprisingly high home run totals at ages when most great sluggers are tailing off. Steroids were illegal by federal law and by edict of Major League Baseball, although no testing was in place during their peak years.

On his own, Rodriguez brought up his link with steroids Wednesday after the Yankees defeated Toronto, 5-1, at Yankee Stadium.

People still doubt me and my performance because of what happened in the past, Rodriguez told Suzyn Waldman of WCBS Radio.

Tags: A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, anabolic steroids, Barry Bonds, Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball, Mark McGwire, Performance enhancing drugs, Sammy Sosa, steroid era, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball

Dick Butkus, the Hall of Fame linebacker, who was renowned for playing with a menacing fury, is putting his passion into the fight against steroids.

The association between steroids and sports disgusts me, says Butkus. The former Chicago Bear is tackling the problem by delivering a message on the dangers of doping with his “I Play Clean” campaign aimed at high-school students.

From in.reuters.com:

Last month’s admission by baseball’s highest-paid player Alex Rodriguez that he had taken steroids from 2001-2003 while with the Texas Rangers, shone the light again on performance-enhancing drugs in sports, something Butkus abhors.

“As an ex-football guy, I still enjoy watching it,” the gruff Butkus told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“It just disgusts me and I hope it doesn’t come to a point where I’m sitting there watching a Senate hearing and have them drilling some ex-football players on their steroids habit,” he said, referring to baseball’s appearance before Congress. “I want to lick this before that happens.”

The NFL has had its share of steroids cheats, notably San Diego Chargers Pro-Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman, suspended for four games in 2006, and now-retired 1997 Defensive Player of the Year Dana Stubblefield, sentenced last month to two years’ probation for lying to investigators about his steroid use.

Butkus has learned over time that use of steroids could result in heart damage among its other dangers.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Dana Stubblefield, Dick Butkus, Hall of Fame, Shawne Merriman, steroid use, steroids, steroids and sports, use of steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball

Reggie Jackson, a two-time World Series most valuable player, has said that there is no room for baseball players who used steroids during their playing days to make an impression, in the hall of fame.

Jackson, who played Major League Baseball from 1967-1987, is one of the best baseball players ever and presently holds the 12th position on the all-time list for maximum home runs with 563 to his credit.

Some of the players who have outplayed him in the rankings had confessed to taking steroids in the past and the list includes big names, namely, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds.

From Bloomberg.com:

“It bothers me,” Jackson said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in New York. “A lot of Hall of Famers are very offended by it. I am starting to get affected and I am hoping that those guys that get caught don’t get into the Hall of Fame.”

Jackson, who played for the New York Yankees from 1977 to 1981 and now serves as a special adviser to the team, also said that he misses the old Yankee Stadium. The Yankees moved this season from the ballpark that was home to 26 World Series championship teams, including two of his own, to their new venue across the street.

“I never really saw the new stadium when they were building it,” Jackson said. “I hung out at the old one. I had a difficult time leaving it. The last day I went out with a couple of friends and we walked around the stadium and I sat in the center field block with the fans and others and got a little teary-eyed.”

In an interview with the Bloomberg Television in New York, Jackson said that baseball greats like him who never used steroids to gain an unfair advantage feel offended to be ranked lower than those who cheat the game and fans by taking steroids.

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, baseball players, Hall of Fame, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, reggie jackson, Sammy Sosa, steroids

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

During the national meeting of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, baseball writers vote down a proposal to form a steroid committee for the development of guidelines in relation to evaluation of players from the era of steroids in Hall of Fame voting.

Players needed just 75 percent of the vote for election. Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson were the only electees for this year.

From Google.com/hostednews:

Current rules ask voters to consider a player’s “record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” Writers who have been BBWAA members for 10 consecutive years are eligible to vote for the Hall of Fame.

Players need 75 percent of the vote for election, and Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were the only electees this year.

Mark McGwire, the first test of the steroids era, received 118 votes (21.9 percent) this year, down from the 128 votes he got in each of his first two tries.

In other news, the BBWWA chose three finalists for the Hall of Fame’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing: Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun; Joe Giuliotti, a retired writer of the Boston Herald; and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.

The proposal was turn down 30-25. The name of winner is expected to be announced in December.

The proposal was brought forward by Rick Telander, a Chicago Sun-Times columnist, at a Chicago chapter meeting last month.

Tags: baseball, baseball writing, Hall of Fame, steroid committee, steroids, steroids era

Posted in buy steroids, Steroid Cycles, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

Steroids is still creating havoc in the Major League just as the season is about to start. MLB might be doing its best to silence the issue, but it looks like steroids will be a thorn on its side the whole season round. The media won’t stop talking about it and fans are getting tired of having it on the headlines everyday. Steroids have done a lot of damage to a sport that America loves. Players that high school athletes and kids look up to are now obviously playing for the money and no longer for the sake of the game. They lie, they cheat. Whatever happened to being role models and social responsibility?

From Valencia County News Bulletin:

More recently, Barry Bonds and several others tried to claim that they never “knowingly” took steroids. Yeah, right.

Roger Clemens angrily denied steroid allegations, but his former trainer apparently has DNA evidence that show he is laying.

Even the other guys who have admitted steroid use didn’t exactly take full responsibility.

Jason Giambi apologized for “something,” but he wouldn’t say what it was because he was fearful that the Yankees would void his contract.

Andy Pettite said he only did it “once or twice,” which is very difficult to believe. Still, that was enough to get him a pass from much of the media.

Alex Rodriguez seemed to come clean at first, but his explanation has a ton of holes in it that make it hard to believe that he is being completely honest.

And Jose Canseco did cop to his own steroid use, but only because he was trying to sell a book ratting out other players, so his motives are far from pristine.

Alex Rodriguez may have thought it would do him good in his career if he came forward and admitted he used steroids. However, honesty is not a guarantee of giving him back his tarnished reputation.

Moreover, sportswriters should not compromise their standards in voting for the Hall of Famers. If they decide not to vote for someone because his name is linked to steroids then they shouldn’t bend the rules for others for any reason. Case in point, some sportswriters are not voting for McGwire but will excuse Bonds and Clemens because they are Hall of Famers already. Apparently reputation doesn’t play any role in the selection. It’s all about the numbers now, no wonder the players go to the lengths of taking steroids just to get ahead.

Tags: baseball, Hall of Fame, season, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

Fans are singing a different tune as tickets for watching a ballgame soars high. This is now the main concern of fans after a survey was conducted on March 26-29 by the Associated Press-Knowledge Networks. Survey results reflected that other concerns of fans were players getting into steroids and their salaries. As the opening day looms, fans are concerned that the recession has affected their disposable income and they may not be able to afford the cost of the tickets. And it’s not just the tickets. Concession stands and parking lots have increased their rates too. Even souvenirs like t-shirts cost $55 a piece.

From The Associated Press:

That would make for a cheap seat at either of the two new ballparks opening in New York. At the $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium, a ticket in the lower deck between the bases goes for a minimum of $350 and tops out at $2,625.

At the Mets’ Citi Field, it’s $18 just to park.

The average ticket price in the majors was $25.43 last year — up 11.7 percent over the previous season, according to The Team Marketing Report. The 2009 cost hasn’t been determined, but the increases typically outpace the inflation rate.

MLB said two-thirds of the 30 teams lowered either their average ticket price or some level of seats. The Toronto Blue Jays went even further, offering a season ticket in the upper deck for $76 — less than $1 per game for all 81 home dates.

Some of the fans express their disappointment over the fact that players are earning millions despite the recession that the country is going through. Salaries of players like Texeira and Sabathia have signing bonuses of $180 million and $161 million respectively are also becoming so too much. Other fans are still enraged over major league players getting into steroids. Some say that they shouldn’t be recognized or given a chance to the Hall of Fame regardless of their baseball statistics.

Tags: baseball, CC Sabathia, fans, Hall of Fame, Mark Teixeira, MLB opening, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports

Gary Sheffield’s star has lost its sparkle as Detroit Tigers let him go at the age of 40. He remains unsurpassed as the greatest hitter of all time. But that happened when he was younger. Now the Tigers were willing to pay him a hefty sum of $14 million dollars for him not to play. In short, they were kicking him out of the team. Probably he couldn’t hack it anymore unlike before. There were younger more agile players being recruited and his career could only go so far.

What disappoints Sheffield is that the Tigers decide to dismiss him with 499 home-runs. In two days from a salary of millions he will be reduced to $400,000. Worse, his name was linked to steroids, which could jeopardize his hopes of being a Famer.

From The New York Times:

Even though Sheffield is essentially a designated hitter, the inexpensive price tag will probably lead some team to give him a chance and hope he can produce. Sheffield belted 19 homers in 114 games last season. The Phillies have already contacted Sheffield and could add him.

If Sheffield does not get a call and ends up being forced to retire, he will leave one homer short of the once-hallowed 500-homer mark. Eventually, he will also be an interesting case for the Hall of Fame. In addition to his home runs, Sheffield has 2,615 hits, 1,633 runs batted in and a .292 career average. Based strictly on numbers, Sheffield is a Hall of Famer.

But some voters will surely wonder how much of his production was tied to steroids. He testified before a federal grand jury investigating Balco in December 2003. One year later, Sheffield, who worked out with Barry Bonds, told Sports Illustrated that he unknowingly used a designer steroid on his knee.

Some writers have already made their minds not to vote for Sheffield in the Hall of Fame for having his name linked to steroids, no matter what the explanation would be. Perhaps the best advice for him now is to bow out of baseball gracefully because getting at job at 40 in the majors is quite impossible.

Tags: 499 home-runs, baseball, George Sheffield, Hall of Fame, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Olympics, Steroids in Sports

Did the steroids controversy hurt Alex Rodriguez’s chances to make it at the Hall of Fame? The same question is asked by Ron Santo, top third baseman in the National League for about a decade. He made it to the ballot thrice, one in 1980, another several years after that and the last in 2002. Only three third basemen have made to the Hall of Fame and only Eddie Matthews, a future Famer, exceeded Santo’s career home runs.

Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs’ Hall of Famer, said that more than anyone else it is the deserving players that are affected by the issues on steroids. He couldn’t understand why the candidacy of Santo was overlooked. And he’s not the only one, Tony Oliva and Gil Hodges are in the same boat as Santo.

Billy Williams, Santo’s former teammate, that the writers are more influenced by the numbers that they have outshadowed the star players of the past decade.

From Southtown Star:

”If you have two third basemen here, and you see one guy hit 340-something home runs, and now you see a guy hit 600, 700 home runs, quite naturally you’re going to go to this guy,” Williams said. ”It could happen that somebody looked at this and said, ‘No, this is not a Hall of Fame player.’

”Certainly there’s been a lot of focus on the guys that hit a lot of home runs at record-high pace, and it could have taken away from the (perception of) numbers individuals had in the ’60s.”

Santo said the bottom line for him is, ”I don’t want any excuses. I don’t think like that.”

In the end, Santo accepts the fact that Hall of Fame might not be for him and that he shouldn’t let the Steroids Era affect how lives his life.

Tags: Billy Williams, Gil Hodge, Hall of Fame, Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, steroids, Tony Oliva

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in Baseball, Steroids in Sports